The fire that burned for hours at a Jersey City recycling plant last week destroyed the city’s only tower ladder, a fire official said today.

The engine, which allows firefighters to fight fires at heights, was 10 years old, and needs to be replaced quickly, Deputy Fire Director Jerry Cala told the City Council at its caucus today.

“We’re operating without a tower ladder,” Cala said. “We’re trying to address that as soon as we can.”

The city had already been awarded a federal grant that will help pay for most of the $800,000 it will cost to buy a replacement tower ladder. The grant, to be approved formally by the council on Wednesday, will pay for $640,000, while the city will pick up $160,000.

The fire, which started at about 11 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19 at Sims Metal Management on Linden Avenue, burned for about 12 hours, sending black smoke drifting across the Hudson River. Mayor Steve Fulop accused Sims workers of trying to put out the fire themselves before calling 911 (a Sims spokesman denied the charge).